Have you heard of Seinfeld? Even if you haven’t seen the show yourself you’ve probably heard your parents talking about it or at least reference it. The phrase “yada yada yada” the “re-gifter” and the iconic soup nazi and many more were all things that originated from Seinfeld. Seinfeld premiered in 1989 and is still a massive part of modern pop culture. I still hear Seinfeld being referenced on TV and the radio. For a show that was prominent in the mid-90s, you would think that almost everything that was being referenced is outdated. But Seinfeld isn’t like every other show.
Seinfeld is widely considered one of the greatest sitcoms of all time and there are many reasons why people think so. In my opinion, it’s the fact the show is made for every demographic and people of all ages can watch it to this day. The show’s humour is so unique because a lot of the jokes are just observations. The kicker is the fact these are things you and I have probably thought about. For example, I’m sure you’ve been to someone’s house and they have a massive bookshelf or maybe you have one at your house. Jerry Seinfeld makes an amazing joke about people keeping books in their houses and I think he nails it to a tee. “What is this obsession people have with books? They put them in their houses—like they’re trophies. What do you need it for after you read it?” said Seinfeld in an episode.
The premise of the show is that it’s a show about nothing. Just four friends who go to work (Except Kramer) and just hang out with each other. Nothing crazy like shows made nowadays. However, the characters are what make the show come to life. The show revolves around Jerry Seinfeld and his life as a comedian living in Manhattan, along with his best friend George Costanza, ex-girlfriend Elaine Benes and crazy neighbour Cosmo Kramer. The unique thing about the characters is that they are all based on real people. George is based on Larry David the creator and writer of the show. Elaine is a combination of a few of Larry’s ex-girlfriends and Kramer is based on a crazy neighbour (Larry) David had.
Seinfeld is like the original reality show, as a lot of the episodes are based on real-life scenarios that David and Seinfeld have gone through. The close talker, the legendary soup nazi, and even the episode where George quits his job and comes back the next day as if nothing happened, are all based off things that actually happened. These are just to name a few. It even got me wondering a few times, imagine if I could make sitcom episodes about things that happened in my life with my friends. Have you ever thought about this?
My favourite character is Geroge, Geroge makes the show what it is I think he’s the heartbeat of the show. George is the definition of a complete loser he’s insecure, extremely petty, and impulsive. I couldn’t even begin to talk about how many times Geroge has embarrassed himself, whether that be around a girl or in public. The character writing for George is elite. It’s what made his character iconic for generations. The situations George has gotten himself in over the course of the show, from pretending to be a marine biologist, getting caught eating an eclair out of the trash to picking out the wrong wedding invitations that accidentally killed his fiance. George is one of the most iconic characters in sitcom history.
If you’re wondering why is George the way he is? Let me introduce you to Estelle and Frank Costanza. After watching just one episode with these characters George’s crazy antics start to make sense. They are constantly yelling and screaming at each other and it’s hilarious. The arguments are over the smallest things ever as well. In an episode where they were going out for dinner Estelle had some thoughts about Frank’s tie choice saying he should wear a thin tie instead. Frank yelled at her and said “You have no eye for fashion” in a hilarious exchange.
The couple gets divorced in season six and Frank’s lawyer was wearing a cape for some reason. This led to Frank moving in with George and them sleeping in bed which was a hilarious scene.
Do you have a friend who is always at your house or you’re always at their house? Maybe they borrow your stuff from time to time. That’s what Kramer is to Jerry, the crazy neighbour who always seems to be at Jerry’s apartment, more than his own. But don’t you just love Kramer? From his crazy entrances of whipping the door open to his goofy mannerisms, Kramer is one of the funniest characters in the show. Kramer is also best friends with Newman, Jerry’s arch-nemesis who lives down the hall from Jerry which leads to hilarious interactions between the three of them.
Elaine is Jerry’s ex-girlfriend and is now one of his best friends. Elaine is very centred and wants to make herself look good to others. She is always super irritated by her co-workers (and if you ask me I think she’s the problem) and is dating a new guy every other week. One of Elaine’s infamous moments was when she was supposed to meet her boyfriend at the movies and she found he was in the hospital. Instead of rushing to go see if he was ok, she stopped for candy at the theatre, which led to an awkward interaction.
The episode writing is nothing short of cinematic, I can’t name a single bad episode. However, I can a few of my favourites and some you definitely have to check out if you haven’t already.
Season 7 Episode 6: The Soup Nazi is arguably the show’s most iconic side character and maybe in sitcom history. The gang loves this new soup shop that opens up and can’t get enough of the soup. However, the owner has a bit of a temper he has strict rules you have to follow when in line and ordering. If you don’t follow these rules correctly he will yell at you the famous line “No soup for you” and make you leave the store. This is ingrained in pop culture today people still reference the infamous Soup Nazi and his famous saying.
Season 8 Episode 9: George and Elaine are both abstaining from sex and both have different effects. George turns into Einstein 2.0 and Elaine turns dumber than a bag of rocks. The funniest part is when George starts giving Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams batting lessons and trys teaching the World Series champions on “How to win more ball games”
Season 5 Episode 14: George pretends to be a marine biologist to impress a girl. The B plot of the episode is Kramer shooting golf balls into the ocean. A golf ball lands into a whale’s blowhole and George is asked to come to the rescue. A perfect example of the A plot and B plot coming together leading to George’s iconic monologue at the end.
Seinfeld is a classic with amazing characters and elite writing something you can watch no matter which generation you’re a part of. It is something that’ll live in TV history and it’s definitely “sponge-worthy”.